October 9, 2012

New York Governor/undeclared 2016 presidential candidate Andrew Cuomo has appointed a new communications director: former NBC News executive Allison Gollust.

Cuomo’s office announced this afternoon that Gollust will replace Richard Bamberger, who has been on Cuomo’s staff since 2008, when Cuomo was the state’s attorney general.

In addition to her time at NBC — where she served as a spokesperson for anchors Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, as well as a gig as the senior vice president of NBC News Communications and executive vice president of Corporate Communications for NBC Universal — Gollust worked as the head of communications for Major League Soccer.

In other words, she’s got the national media experience Cuomo would want if he were — but definitely is — running for president.

“The opportunity to join the Governor and his team to build on the
tremendous success they have already achieved in transforming the state
is one that I truly could not pass up,” Gollust says in a statement issued this afternoon. “Communication
in this day and age moves at a lightning pace and serves a critical
role in informing the public. I look forward to working with the
administration to continue spreading the Governor’s message of a new New
York throughout the state.”

While at NBC, Gollust “oversaw all internal and external communications for NBC News and its
programming, including Today, Nightly News with Brian Williams,
Dateline, and Meet the Press.”